Through The Storm
by September14Fall
Summary: "I will always wait for you Max." and that's the last thing I heard him say to me. Fang and Max have been put into an orphanage for as long as they can remember. What happens when one day they escape and begin following up on the things they never had? Lots of Fax. Not cheesy. I promise.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride, The Catcher In the Rye or ShopRite™ stores.**

**A/N: Iggy is currently called _Issac. _  
**

* * *

**_Fang's P.O.V_**

"Fang..." She whispered faintly

"Shh don't worry. Everything's gonna be alright. I promise" I held her in my arms and her warm chocolate colored eyes stared solemnly into my obsidian ones. It took me ages to admit to myself; she was dying, right here, in my arms.

I had to get her out of here. I needed to find an exit. I looked around and an air vent caught my eye. I busted it open with a metal pipe I found lying on the floor.

"We're getting out of here Max. Don't worry"

I brushed her brown hair away from her face with my fingers, she managed to give me a half smile. I smiled back at her. I didn't want to let her down.

I crawled inside the vent and gently pulled Max inside with me. It was freezing inside. I took my jacket off and pulled it over her. She couldn't loose anymore body heat.

I knew what I was doing was extremely dangerous. But if I were to die someplace, it wouldn't be in this hellhole.

After 15 minutes of endless crawling, I peaked into the other side of the vent. It seemed to look like Mrs. Hagen's office. Surprisingly she wasn't there, so I opened the vent and jumped out. Then, I grabbed Max and pulled her out. She was shivering. I had to get to the nearest hospital as fast as possible.

I carried her bridal style and opened the door only to see the demon herself-Mrs. Hagen- standing up straight with her arms crossed. Giving us a glare that would've made Medusa turn into stone herself.

She looked at me with hatred in her eyes. Then she saw Max in my arms and came towards us.

"And just where do you think you two are going?" She asked in her scrawny voice.

"Ma'am. Max needs to get to the hospital. She's very sick and-"

She let out a horrible laugh and said "Is that so? And you thought that I didn't know that already? Silly child..."

Max's' shivering increased. I knew that negotiating with Mrs. Hagen wouldn't work so I walked past her only to feel her strong hands grip me from my shoulders knocking me and Max to the ground.

I lifted myself up and rushed to Max who began coughing insanely.

She came closer and spat at us "You horrible, filthy, disgusting vermin."

My anger rose to a very high level. But I managed to keep calm.

I lifted Max again and this time I ran outside the building and made my way to Colleen Ave. where the nearest hospital was.

The automatic hospital doors opened and I rushed inside and called the nearest doctor.

Soon, 3 paramedics came in with a gurney and I put Max down on it. I ran with them inside the emergency room only to be stopped by a nurse.

I argued with her but she wouldn't listen to me. She begged me to go sit in the waiting room, telling me everything's going to be alright. So I stopped and sat down on a chair.

My hands were trembling and my eyes were filled with tears. I felt so scared of loosing her. She was basically the only thing I had left in this world. Everyone else left me standing alone. She was always there for me and I loved her so much. I hated myself for not having the guts to tell her that before she became ill.

Thirty minutes passed and a nurse came out holding a few files in her hand. She looked at me and said: "She's doing okay. But we can't let you in until I get the orders to do so." I nodded. "And you are her...?"

I hesitated for a second and responded: "h...her brother, L...Luke."

"Alright Luke if you can only fill out this paper and give me your parent's phone number"

I took the pen and paper away from her and swallowed hard. I wasn't expecting this, so I just wrote down a fake address and a random person's number. Hoping it would take them a while to notice.

Disobeying the nurse's orders; I walked inside the room and saw Max sleeping peacefully on the hospital bed. She was wearing a hospital gown and her clothes were besides her on the chair. They were worn out and dirty. I came closer to her and brushed my fingers against her cheeks.

She slowly fluttered her eyes open and turned to me.

My heart was finally beating at a normal rate now, I was so relived to see her breathing. Just the fact that she was right here with me made me feel safe.

"Fang..."

"Hello Max." I smiled at her

"I feel better. Can we get out of here? I don't like hospitals that much" She said with a worried tone

I nodded and helped her up. She looked at her clothing and then at me in an uncomfortable way and I knew what she meant. I stepped outside and waited for her to get dressed. When she came out I asked her if she was ready to go and she nodded.

As we walked towards the exit. I spotted someone familiar at the front desk. Mrs. Hunter.

I pulled Max in an ally before Mrs. Hunter could catch a glimpse of us.

"She's out there isn't she?" asked Max

I nodded

"Fang... I don't want to go back there." Her tone was shaky and she managed not to cry out.

"Don't worry. We're not going back there. Ever."

"Now lets use the other way out."

I grabbed her hand and we began walking towards the other exit.

I opened the door and stepped outside, followed by Max. It was cold enough to start snowing outside, and no surprises; it began snowing.

We were walking on the cold streets of downtown Newark. We were a bit far from the institute. Which was good because we weren't planning on going back there. Neither of us could go get our stuff too. Mrs. Hagen took everything away ever since we arrived there.

I met this kid called Issac last summer. It was on accident actually. I sneaked out from the institute at night to go buy some food with the money I stole from Mrs. Hagen. None of us had eaten for the past 2 weeks. I was entering a supermarket when I bumped into a tall, blue eyed boy with strawberry blonde hair.

"Hey! Watch it man." He said in a serious tone.

"Sorry..."

He laughed and said "Nah, I'm just messin' with ya. The name's Issac. I haven't seen you around here. What's your name?"

"Fang."

"Fang? That's an unusual name. Hm. Are you from here?"

I nodded

"Then how come I don't see you?"

I hesitated for a moment but finally spoke up: "I'm home-schooled and I go to Pennsylvania on the weekends"

"Aha.. P.A interesting."

Our conversation lasted for a while until I realized I needed to get back to the institute.

"I have to go home now"

"Ok, I'll see you around?"

I nodded

"Awesome." He smiled

Issac and I became friends. Every time I'd sneak out to the supermarket I'd meet up with him and sometimes we'd go for a walk. We became close friends.

So my plan was to go see him and spend the night at his house until I manage to come up with an idea about where we were heading next.

It took us 10 minutes to arrive to Issac's house. I knocked on the front door and he came out with a surprised look on his face. It was midnight and there were two worn out kids outside his front porch with no where to sleep.

"Fang...?"

"Hi Issac... I'm sorry for disturbing but I can ex-"

"Who's she?" he interrupted me and looked at Max.

"My name is Max."

He smiled at her and said: "Its freezing outside, why don't you two come in and we'll explain tomorrow morning? I'm tired as hell"

I was relieved that it went well. However, I knew that I needed to come up with some lie as an explanation.

Issac led us upstairs into a big room with a king sized bed and a couch.

"You guys can stay here. I'll go get some blankets" he said.

Max took a step inside the room. Inspecting every piece of furniture inside it. She seemed to loosen her grip a bit. I knew that she felt safer in here... So did I.

"I'll take the couch. You can sleep on the bed Max."

She gave me a weird look and crossed her arms "Fang, the bed is huge. We can share it."

"Are you sure?"

She nodded

Issac returned with some blankets in his hands. "This'll do for now. Well...Goodnight guys!" he left the room.

Max crawled onto the bed and let out a huge sigh.

"This feels way different than the old mattress I slept on at the Institute"

"What mattress? I swear that old thing was made up of nails" I said

She smiled and shut her eyes.

I crawled in next to her, leaving some space between us.

"Goodnight Max"

"Goodnight Fang"

Issac woke me up the next morning at 7:50 telling me he had to leave for school and that we could use anything we needed while he was gone. I nodded and went back to sleep.

I woke up at 10 and I noticed Max wasn't next to me. Stumbling out of bed, I went downstairs and noticed her struggling with something in the kitchen.

"Ow!" she yelped. I immediately ran to her "What's wrong?"

"This stupid toaster burned my fingers! That's what's wrong. I don't think its working."

I rolled my eyes at her "Max, how many times do I have to tell you to stay out of the kitchen?"

She shrugged

I sighed and told her to sit in the living room while I prepared us some eggs, waffles, and toast.

We sat down and began eating

"Fang, how much longer are we staying here?"

"As soon as we can sort things out. I mean you just got out of the hospital yesterday and I think Ms. Hagen is out searching for us."

She let out a huge sigh. "Do you think they'll send us to public school? Or another orphanage?"

"Who's they?"

"You know. Social services?"

"I don't know. But we'll try our best to avoid them."

That made me think for a second, what if we were sent into another orphanage. Would they treat us as bad as the institute did? Would we have another 'Mrs. Hagen'? I had no idea what we were supposed to do. I was 17 and I wasn't old enough to be on my own yet. Not until 3 more months.

Max was 17 too but her birthday was in 5 months. I promised I would always wait for her whenever we got out of that hellhole. We'd always stick together. I hope I never have to break that promise.

As soon as we were finished with cleaning up. We sat down and I grabbed a newspaper and began looking for a job. Max was reading one of Issac's books that he had. The Catcher in the Rye.

I stumbled across an advertisement saying they needed someone to help them in this hardware store. I would go over there today and apply.

I stood up and grabbed my jacket

"Where are you going?" Max looked up from the book.

"I'll be back. I just need to go see this place"

She looked puzzled for a second, but she nodded in agreement

"Okay."

"I won't be long, I promise."

I exited the house and began walking to the Hardware store, it wasn't too far from Issac's house. It took me about 10 minutes to get there.

It looked abandoned and worn out. It had a sign that said 'Jack's hardware store'. Regardless of the conditions, I went inside.

There was a man in about his mid-30's sitting at a desk. He had his eyes closed but opened them immediately when he spotted me entering his store.

His dull expression faded and he spoke up: "Hello, what can I do for you young man?"

"I saw your ad in the newspaper and I wanted to-"

He cut me off and asked "Oh you're here for the job aye?"

I nodded.

"Hm. You seem like a decent kid to me."

"Can I fill out the applicat-"

"There is no application. You're hired. Be here at 6 AM sharp tomorrow." and he stood up and left

I wasn't expecting it to go this easy. He doesn't even know my name. Hm. Something smells fishy here.

"Thank you sir."

"Please, call me Jeb."

I nodded and went outside. Still surprised about my new job that required no interview, or an application. Not even my name.

I headed back to Issac's house. There was supposedly a storm or a hurricane coming close to us. Sandy they had called it. What a suitable name for a hurricane.

Issac was on the couch next to Max. They were engaging in a conversation when they saw me standing and paused for a while.

"Hey Fang." Said Max

"Hey."

"Where have you been dude?" asked Issac

"Oh, just this old place."

"Hm. Well I have to go and buy some stuff before the hurricane hits us. You wanna come?"

I shook my head.

"Alright. Max?"

She looked at me hesitantly and I nodded.

"Sure Issac." she said

I wasn't sure why I had agreed. But I just let it slide this time. We didn't want to be spotted by Mrs. Hagen or social services.

"Just be careful Max"

"I will"

"See you in an hour Fang!" chanted Issac.

I just nodded in complete silence. As I always do.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride or ShopRite™ stores.**

* * *

**_Max P.O.V_**

Issac and I went to ShopRite™ to gather some essentials in order to be prepared for this Frankenstorm that's going to hit us in the afternoon.

"Alright. I'll go get some bread. Can you go to isle 4 and look for D batteries Max?"  
I nodded in agreement and went off to isle 4

'D batteries...hm. I don't see any ...Aha!'

There was only one pack left. As I leaned in to pick it up. My hand touched with another, mocha-skin colored one.  
I looked up and only to see a girl, about 15 with mocha-skin and beautiful hazel eyes. Her hair was in a neat ponytail and she was wearing a chic outfit and jewelry.

"Oh. You can take the last one its alright! I wanted C batteries anyways..."  
I looked at her in confusion and said "Are you sure?"

"Totally! Oh I'm Monica. But please, call me Nudge! Its a random name I know, but my friends call me that because every time I go on in an endless rant, they have to nudge me so that I would shut up. Ha ha. Sometimes I wonder if they mean it or not. Oh Its so nice to meet you! What's your name?"

I was shocked. She didn't even take a single breath! I almost forgot to reply because I was lost for words.  
"M.. Max."

"That's such a cool name! So you getting ready for the hurricane?"

I nodded.

"Me too. I bet it won't be that severe. I mean we do live in one of the emergency states, and Newark is most likely gonna be flooded. But hey, who knows. It could just be heavy rain! Hey how old are you? I'm 15."

"I'm 17" I smiled at her. She seemed really friendly and harmless. But boy, did she have a moter-mouth!

As I gathered the batteries and headed back to Issac, Nudge followed me and we- well mostly she, began rambling about many random things, from school to fashion to the hurricane to the Kardashians.  
She immediately paused and gasped. I looked at her to see if something had happened when I noticed she was gaping at Issac.

"Who is that?!" She screeched.

"Oh that's. My friend... His name is Issac."

"Max. Can you introduce me? He's really good looking and I'm kinda shy when it comes to good looking guys."

I laughed and said: "Don't worry, he's pretty cool. But okay. I'll introduce you."  
We approached Issac and I spoke up: "Hey Issac, I got those D batteries."

"Great and I got bread and some snacks oh and I also foun- Who is this?" he smirked and looked at Nudge

I rolled my eyes. Typical teenage boys.

"Issac, this is Nudge. Nudge, this is Issac"

"Hell-o there, its nice to meet you" he said

I sighed.

She giggled. The two of them wandered off outside the store and I followed them. Wow, now I get what they mean by a third wheel.

Nudge scribbled on a piece of paper what seemed to be a phone number, -obviously hers- Issac took it and smiled at her. Then he waved goodbye.

I stood there waiting for Issac to come. He walked towards me with the goofiest smile on his face.

"So... Got her number?"

"Sure did. Now come on. Lets head home before this storm thing starts"

I smiled and shook my head.

* * *

**_Fang P.O.V_**

I sat down on the couch and flipped through the TV channels. All I saw was weather reports about Sandy. Gosh, don't these people ever get tired?

The door unlocked and Issac and Max came in with bags in their hands.

"Hey Fang. Missed us?" Said Issac in an annoying way.

I grinned in response.

"They said that our area isn't gonna be severely hit. But we prepared everything in case." said Max

How am I gonna go to work tomorrow? I asked myself Would Jeb excuse me the first day?  
I didn't tell Max or Issac about my new job. I didn't want them to know. I didn't need Issac's help or sympathy and I certainly did not need Max to get any ideas of getting a job herself, because we're not supposed to be spotted by anyone.

Max set the bags on the kitchen table and sat down next to me.

"Hey. Are you okay?"

"Wha-? Yeah Max, I'm fine." I replied sweetly

She rested her head on my shoulder and I rested my head on hers. It was a comfortable position and I enjoyed it. I felt so safe whenever Max was around.

Suddenly the lights went out. Ruining the perfect moment. We both shifted from our position and stood up. Max ran to grab a flashlight from the kitchen, and Issac went to grab some candles.

I lit the candles and set them on the table and Max held the flashlight in her hand.

"Is everyone alright?" Asked Issac

We both nodded our heads.

"So now what?" asked Max impatiently.

"I guess we just...wait?" responded Issac

The three of us sat in the living room and did nothing. It was really boring- For me. Max was reading and Issac had his music player on.

I shut my eyes and went into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

_**Max P.O.V**_

It was about 10:30 PM and I had just put my book down. Issac was still listening to music and I noticed Fang sleeping on the couch in a sitting position. He looked so peaceful. Fang wasn't the type to always look like this. I mean sure he was a calm person, but he would always look out for me. He took great responsibility and I felt a little guilty for that. I can take care of myself. I don't need anyone looking after me.

I thought about our current situation. I mean what are we going to do after this ends? Where will we sleep? I couldn't let Fang do all the thinking.

Then, an idea popped up in my head, _maybe I can get a job_.

I grabbed a newspaper and began looking. I didn't want anything really complex. I found an ad for a waitress at this diner on Abbey Rd. I could do that.

I didn't want to tell Fang though. He'll get worried. I know this takes responsibility and caution. I must not be seen by anyone who might have any relationship to do with Mrs. Hagen.

"Alright guys I say we hit the hay. Its getting windy outside. Try to avoid the windows and hopefully we don't have to get evacuated or anything" said Issac

I gave Fang a slight shake and he woke up instantly.

"Fang? Let's go upstairs."

He nodded silently

Issac carried a lantern and went to his room. I grabbed a flashlight and Fang and I went to the guest room. We pushed the bed away from the window in case any trees were to fall. Then we both headed to bed.

There was heavy rain and strong winds outside, and things began flying.

I shut my eyes and tried to fall asleep._ It was going to be a long night._


	3. Chapter 3

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride**_

* * *

**Fang P.O.V**

The next morning went on as if it were any other morning. Nothing's changed. Except we were still out of electricity, Issac had no school and I wasn't able to get out of the house. I hope Jeb is okay with it.

I looked outside the window only to see a disaster. Trees had fallen everywhere. Fences were broken. Water leaking from pipes and sewage. It was ugly.

We helped Issac clear out his driveway from trees and branches. Of course the workers had to help us with the huge tree blocking his driveway. While Max and I carried the branches.

"I wonder if the Institute got hit this bad" I said

"I hope they get hit the worst. I mean the bitch herself of course."

I laughed "Wow Max, language."

She shook her head and smiled "I can't help it. I hate her so much"

After 2 hours of endless cleaning, Issac, Max and I went back inside and made us some hot chocolate. The power should be back on tomorrow. Which is good because I had to go to work tomorrow.

"Wow. I am _exhausted_." complained Issac

"Fang, I never really asked but what's the matter? You never got a chance to explain."

Max looked at me with a worried look. I didn't know what to say. So Max spoke up

"I had an argument with my family... a..and I wanted a break so Fang decided to come here."

Issac raised an eyebrow and turned to me: "Really?:  
I paused for a moment and nodded my head.

Issac still looked confused. But he nodded in agreement "Okay. You guys can stay here as long as you like. My parents don't come back until next year. Yeah, they travel a lot. Work."

_I always wondered where his parents were._ I thought.

Despite the house being really cold. I went upstairs to take a shower. I can manage living in cold weather.  
_I'm used to it._

* * *

**Max P.O.V**

Fang went upstairs to take a shower. While I sat on the couch and snuggled in a blanket Issac gave me. It was _cold. _

"Aw Max, you shivering?" He asked me

I didn't notice until now, I was actually _shivering_.

"I'll get you another blanket. Don't worry I called the electricity company and they said the power might be on before tomorrow morning."

I smiled and nodded.

Issac brought me another blanket and sat next to me on the couch.

"Hm. I haven't really gotten to know you like Fang. Tell me more about yourself Max."  
"Well... What do you wanna know?"  
"Favorite color?" he asked  
"Blue."  
"I like Green."  
"Favorite music genre?"

That reminded me...Mrs. Hagen wouldn't let us own any musical instruments or devices. However, on my 17th birthday, Fang bought me an mp3 player with some random songs installed on it. I loved it. Until Mrs. Hagen caught me and took it away. She also starved me for a week. I remember when Fang would sneak some meals with him just for me.

Apparently I've been staring into space for a while because Issac was snapping his fingers in my face

"_Hellooo, earth to Max."_

"Oh I'm sorry. I was just... thinking. So music genre? I like everything I guess."

"Favorite food?"  
"Hm. Pretty much anything. Oh wait, I remember one time I ate a chocolate chip cookie and I fell in love with it. So chocolate chip cookies. The soft ones."  
He laughed and said: "Naah, I'm more of a Oreo person."

10 minutes later Fang came downstairs with a flashlight in his hand.

"Wow Fang. I can believe you just took a shower. Its freezing in here!" exclaimed Issac

He managed a half-smile and shrugged.

Suddenly we heard a knock on the door. Two knocks..

Issac got up and opened the door. It was Nudge. She was shivering and she had tears streaming down her face.

"Nudge? What happened?" asked Issac

"My house. Flooded. Its gone." She whimpered.

Issac hugged her tightly for a while, and Nudge seemed to loosen up a bit. She was still shivering though.

"Come on Nudge. I'll get you some blankets" I said  
She sat down on the couch with Issac while I grabbed a candle and headed to the basement to grab some blankets.

I heard someone following me, I turned around only to see Fang with a puzzled look on his face.

"What's wrong?"  
"Who's Nudge?"  
I laughed "She's just a friend we met at the market. Chill"  
Fang rolled his eyes.

"Now come on and help me find some blankets in here."

Fang and I found some blankets lying around in a corner. Quickly, we grabbed them and headed upstairs.

Issac grabbed one and draped it over Nudge's shoulders. He stroked her arms to give her warmth.

Nudge looked at him for a while and said: "Thank you Issac"

"There's no need. I'm here for ya." He stared right into her eyes.

_"Oh god, I think I know where this is going." _I thought.

* * *

**Issac P.O.V**

I stared solemnly back into Nudge's beautiful hazel eyes and she stared right back into my blue ones. Suddenly our lips were touching and we were kissing. Right here. Right now. In the middle of a hurricane.

I enjoyed every second of it.

* * *

**Max P.O.V**

_-face palm-_


	4. Chapter 4

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride or Forever 21 _**

* * *

**Fang P.O.V**

I woke up at 5:30 AM, and started to get ready to go to my first day at work.  
Thankfully, the electricity was back on. So I wasn't freezing to death when I got out of the shower.

I left a note to Max and Issac:

_'I'll be back. I just need to go pick up a few things. Oh and Max, try not to burn yourself with the toaster again. _

_-Fang.'_

I left the note on the fridge and headed outside.

It was freezing cold outside. The streets were empty. A couple of apartments had no power.

I walked about 15 minutes until I entered the warehouse. It was empty and dark

"Hello?" I called

No answer.

"Hello? _Jeb_?"

I looked around. I opened a door to see a man with his head on a desk snoring loudly. Not to mention the drool that was leaking out of his mouth.

"Jeb?"

"Huh? Wha? Oh." He woke up with confusion

"Yes, may I help you?"

"I'm the new employee..."

He shifted and stood up, wiping the drool off his face. "Ah. My apologies. As you can see the power is out here so all I have are these candles and this old flashlight" He pointed to the objects on his desks

"So there's no mechanical job you can handle right now until the power comes back on. I guess you can start with storage. Keep walking straight and go to your right. You'll see a green door that says "Storage". Start by unloading the boxes in the truck outside into the room. Oh and take this flashlight too."

I nodded.

"Ay kid what was your name again?"

"Nick" I lied again

"Okay Nick. Here you go" he handed me a flashlight and I left his office.

I hope its easy as it sounds... I thought.

* * *

**Max P.O.V**

I woke up at six. I noticed Fang wasn't besides me. Being the clumsy girl I am. I tripped over a pillow on the floor. I put myself together and went downstairs. Fang's probably watching TV or eating breakfast.  
But he wasn't? A yellow note on the fridge caught my eye.

_'I'll be back. I just need to go pick up a few things. Oh and Max, try not to burn yourself with the toaster again. _

_-Fang.'_

Ugh. _Really_ Fang?

I sighed and went upstairs to go change. I've decided to go to the diner and ask for a job.

I put on my clothes; a blue sweatshirt and dark blue skinny jeans, that were still worn out, but clean because I washed them last night and headed outside.

I made my way to Abbey Rd. and caught a glimpse of what appeared to be the 'diner'

It was a small diner, The sign was red and it read _**'Danny's Diner'**_. How simple and boring.

I shrugged and went inside._ 'Hm, at least they have power'._ I thought.

It had a couple of customers who were all lined up or sitting drinking coffee.

I came up to one of the waitresses: "Hello." I said.

She looked about 30 with her curly Sue hair and hazel eyes. She was wearing a pink plaid dress with a white apron. I felt like I was in the 1980's.

"Hello miss. What can I get you?"

"Um actually, I was wondering where I can see the manager?"

"Oh. I bet you're here for the job. Its about time this place got somebody new." She smiled and chewed her gum.

"Just head straight and its the door on your right"

"Thank you" I smiled

I knocked on an old rusty door. "Come in. Take a seat."

I entered and shut the door behind me. "Hello sir. My name is Max. I'm here because you had a position open for a waitress in the newspaper.."

He was about 50 years old. He was bald and short and wore a fedora.

He looked at me and said: "Hello Max, My name is Mr. Hayek. But you can call me Adam."

I nodded.

"How old are you?"

"I'm 17 sir."

"Well Max to tell you the truth I'm quite desperate right now, The only waitress I got is Cheryl outside and right now we're expecting lots of customers 'cause of the hurricane. So I'm going to hire you. Lets call this an experiment."

I was confused but I nodded. _This is easy._

"Can you start right now?"

My eyes widened. How long would this last? I needed to be at Issac's house before Fang comes back.

But I needed the job. I needed the money. So I said 'yes'.

Mr. Hayek-or Adam; led me out of the room and called on the waitress outside "Cheyrl!"

"What is it Adam? I'm busy!" She sighed

"Listen up, today we got a new emplo-"

She turned to me and cut Adam off "Oh its you! So did you get the job?" she smiled.

"Yes Cheryl. She did. Now teach her some stuff. I need to go make a phone call"

He left us there.

"Alright. This is gonna be fun. C'mon, follow me I'll get you a uniform"

I mentally sighed. I bet you 100% I'll be wearing that ugly pink plaid dress she was wear-_ Annnnd I'm right._

I put the dress on and tied the apron on my waist. She led me to the kitchen and showed me around. I finally admit to her that I am horrible with cooking. She told me not to worry and only said to pour coffee and take the customers orders. They had a chef called Joe for the stuff that happens in the kitchen.

"Alright. All settled now?" She said

"Yeah. I think I got this."

"Great! Oh! Here's a customer. Go!"

I hesitated for a moment and stepped towards a man sitting at a single table.

"Hello Sir, can I take your order?"

"I'll take a bacon, egg and cheese bagel. And a cup of coffee... Black."

I scribbled down his order on a little notebook Cheryl gave me, and headed to the kitchen.

"Hello Max. What do we have here?" said Joe, the cook.

I gave him the note and he immediately began preparing his order. 5 minutes later I delivered it safely to him. I was so nervous I would drop the tray but thankfully my clumsy side didn't show... at least not today.

My head turned to see more customers come in. Boy was this going to be a _long_ day.

* * *

**Fang P.O.V**

It's been a while and I've already unloaded 3 huge trucks with heavy boxes and into the storage room. My muscles were tired and I sat on the ground and rested for a few minutes.

_I wonder what Max is doing._ I thought.

Something shiny caught my eye. It looked like a tin can. I got up and stepped towards it. And I can tell you, it was no tin can.  
It was a door knob. I removed some of the items that were hiding it away and I twisted it. Locked.

There was a small hole in the door. I peaked in and I could've sworn I saw a cage. Something was inside it too. I couldn't see that well since it was dark.

I accidentally kicked the door with my foot from stumbling on a box. The cage began to shake. And the thing inside it began growling. I stepped back and placed the items back where they belonged and went outside the storage room.

Jeb was standing outside, underneath the garage door. I realized it had gotten brighter outside. What time was it? How long have I been here?

He turned around me and grinned. "So! How did it go?"

"I unloaded the trucks."

"Excellent." He said and looked at his watch "It's almost 4:30. Why don't you go home? There's nothing else to do since the power is out. I'll give you a call if it comes back on. If it doesn't then you can stay home. Oh, and here..."

He handed me a couple of bucks.

I nodded "Thank you."

"Ah no need. Now go, you look exhausted!"

I didn't count the money. It wasn't that much. I was starving though. I decided to go inside an old diner and buy me whatever I could afford.

As I stepped inside. I realized it was packed. All these people had no food, electricity or anything. _Whoa_.

I saw a woman with curly hair running back and forth, bringing people their orders and what-so-ever.

But what really grasped my attention was a girl with wavy brown hair sticking notes on a cork board and talking to a man.

I suddenly realized._ It was Max._

I was angry. What had she gotten herself into? What if she gets caught? I couldn't afford loosing her.

I decided to grab a newspaper and cover my face. I was going to surprise her.

"Hello sir. What can I get you?"

"Hm... what's good?" I asked, deepening my voice.

She raised an eyebrow. "Um. _Everything_... I guess?"

"Hm. Well how about a cup of -" I removed the newspaper away from my face and heard her gasp "-busted?"

"Fang?! I... It's not what you think. I just..."

"Max what were you thinking?! What if Mrs. Hagen walked through this door and saw you?!" I exclaimed.

She rolled her eyes and said: "It's none of your business what I do Fang! I just wanted to help out. So what? I can stand up for myself. She can't do anything. There's many people here!"

"Max. Please. I can't let you d-"

"And where were you? You kept leaving me! I need answers now Fang."

I looked at her hesitantly and she waited for a response.

"Well!?"  
"Look. I was at work but that doesn't mean you should be working too!"

"Really Fang?! You can go get a job but I can't?"

"Max. You _know_ why!"

"I can take care of myself Fang."

I sighed and she shot me a death glare that made me flinch.

"Jesus, alright! Come down."

She laughed and said: "Fang you look tired. I'll get you something to eat. Its on the house."

"Max its your first day. You could get fired."

"Blah. They won't know. Besides my boss said he's desperate right now."

"You know I'm not happy about this Max."

"What, are you gonna give me another lecture, _Dad_?"

I rolled my eyes. _Yep. That's Max for ya._

She left and came back with a turkey sub and a glass of orange juice.

I took a bite. "Whaaat!? It's not burned or poisoned?!" I teased.

She stuck her tongue at me and said "No you weirdo. We actually have a chef. Did you think they would actually let me inside a kitchen?"

I smirked. "So until how long are you staying here?"

"Well... Until he tells us to go home."

"Hey Fang. How was work?"

I really didn't want to answer that question. But I had to.

"Work was alright. I work at this old hardware store. I only handled storage today. Since there's no power."  
"Oh. It sounds easy. But is it?"

I was about to reply when I heard a man shout: "Ay Ride! HURRY UP WITH TABLE 4!"

She rolled her eyes. "I'll be back, Fang."

I smiled. Max was so cute whenever she looked annoyed-_Did I just think that?_

I stayed at the diner for another hour. Max had finally finished and we were ready to go home.  
"Finally." She said.

As we were walking home. I noticed Max rubbing her hands together. She was trying to keep warm.

I took her hand, since mine was warm, and continued to walk. I caught her blush and she tried to hide it. I smiled at her and she returned it.

_She's so beautiful._

Brain. Shut up.

* * *

**Max P.O.V**

I was _freezing_. I began rubbing my hands together and huffing but still. I felt like they had been stuck into a freezer.

With no warning. Fang reached out and held my hand; we continued to walk. I felt my cheeks getting hot. _Shit_. I was blushing, I tried lowering my head.

Fang smiled at me and I smiled back at him. I loved it whenever he had a peaceful look on his face.

We continued to walk towards Issac's house when we both saw a car pass by. It stopped right in front of us and the doors opened.

3 men wearing ski masks came launching at us. I got into a fighting stance and so did Fang.

We had never been professionally trained by anyone. But I remember Fang taught me a couple of good self defense moves at the institute. He said he had been taught Muay Thai by his grandfather and he was somewhat good.

One of the men launched himself at Fang. Fang kicked him in the ribs, causing the man to stumble backwards. He immediately gained balance and ran to Fang. He raised his fist and tried to punch him in the face but Fang blocked it, grabbed his arm and flipped him onto the ground.

I felt a hard _whack! _on my shoulder. I turned around and saw another man preparing to attack when I kneed him in the gut and kicked him onto the ground. He pulled out a knife and tried to stab me. I kept on dodging but he would't stop. I grabbed his hand and twisted it behind his back.

Fang came over to me and helped me with the last man. He punched him in the face and I heard his nose crack. He fell on his knees and began shouting. I never knew Fang had that much strength. I jumped and kicked him on his forehead. He went unconscious.

Suddenly the two men ran to the last guy who was unconscious We heard them mumble a few words and they carried him off to their car and drove off. Fang and I noticed their were people around us watching, some of them frozen in shock.

Fang eyed them suspiciously and said: "C'mon Max, let's get out of here."  
He grabbed my hand and we ran back to Issac's.

* * *

**Fang P.O.V**

I had no idea where those guys came from. I mean a couple of random guys in ski masks coming out of no where on Abbey Rd. in public.  
Could Mrs. Hagen have sent them to go find us? I don't know.

We arrived at Issac's house were we were greeted with 2 familiar faces and one I've never seen before. He was a boy, looked about 12, with blue eyes and blond hair.

Issac had his jaw wide open and was staring a the television. Nudge looked worried but immediately relaxed when she spotted Max and I in the room.

"Max! Fang! You're alright!" She exclaimed.

"Yeah Nudge. What's wrong?" Max asked

"You two are on the news! Look!" shouted Issac

I was shocked. The media had managed to film us fighting these creeps than go and help us? What is wrong with this world?

"So they were too busy watching us than to go help us?" Max blurted out.

_You read my mind again Max._

"Waaait, so what exactly happened?" Asked the blonde boy

"Who are you?" asked Max

"Oh! I almost forgot. Max, Fang, this is Zephyr but we him Gazzy. He's my best friend."

Max smiled: "Hey, how old are you?"

"I'm 13, in two months"

"Why do they call you Gazzy?"

"Do you really want to know?"

Max shook her head. "_Oh_, No thanks."

"Hm. Is emo boy your _boyfriend_?" he teased

Max looked at me, then turned to Gazzy and said: "Oh, no he's my best friend."

I chuckled. Max was blushing. She glared at me.

"_Really_?"

"Yes. Really."

"Hey Iggy we gotta hook those two up." said Gazzy

"_Iggy_?" I asked. First question since I came in.

"Whoa he speaks" muttered Gazzy under his breath.

"Ha ha. Gazzy calls me that. I have no idea why, but I liked the nickname... hm, all of you people have nicknames. So from now on call me Iggy."

I raised an eyebrow._ This day getting stranger by the minute._

"And yes Gaz, I totally agree. We should."

He giggled. "SO. My question is. Where the heck have you two been?!" Nudge waited impatiently for an answer.

"Oh, we uh- went for a walk. You know. To get some fresh air?" said Max hesitantly.

"I don't believe that! And how did you two manage to fight off those weirdos?"

"Instincts." I said

"Shouldn't we tell the police?" asked Gazzy

"Nah, if the media has it under control, I'm sure the police are on it too." I said. I really didn't want to get involved into anything. It's enough that Max and I are still... _on the run._

I sat down on the couch and rubbed my temples. All this talking was giving me a massive headache.

Max sat down next to me and asked me if I was okay, I nodded.

"So I have school tomorrow, which means you two will be home alone." said Issa- I mean _Iggy_

"Is Max home-schooled too, Fang?"  
I nodded.

Nudge clasped her hands and spoke up: "Tomorrow's Friday. I say we do something fun, you know the five of us. Maybe we can go to the mall! Which reminds me Max. We need to go shopping. I found this amazing dress at Forever21 and you just need to try it on! It also has a beautiful matching bag with it and a li-" she was cut off by Iggy's hand clamped on her mouth.

"Nudge. Alright. We'll go to the mall tomorrow. You girls can go shopping while us guys do something manly." he said with a smirk on his face

"Ugh Iggy, staring at the Victoria's secret posters isn't manly. It's just creepy" she replied.

We were all laughing. I even half smiled.

"So how's about we watch a movie tonight?" suggested Iggy.

"What kind of movie?" asked Max

"What about-" he was about to suggest a movie when Nudge cut him off

"Valentines Day!" he screamed holding up the DVD.

"Really dude?" said Gazzy

"Psh.. chill. It's not mine. Its.. for my... cousin."

Gazzy couldn't hold himself. He was cracking up.

"Shut up Gaz. I was going to suggest we watch House at the End of the Street. Unless you guys are too scared."

"Hah. I can take a challenge" said Max.

"Ugh. Fine. But Iggy don't come crying to me if your arms become numb. I'll be clinging on to you as if my life depended on it." said Nudge.

"I'm fine with that" He replied with a cocky smirk

Nudge rolled her eyes. "Just put the movie in already"

Nudge and Iggy sat next to each other on the floor, Gazzy was in a bean bag and Max and I were sitting on the couch.

From all the horrors we've seen at the institute. I doubt this silly movie could actually scare us. Max was one of the toughest girls I've ever met. Mentally and physically. She always tried to be strong for everyone. _Even for Angel._

Now I bet you're wondering who Angel is, well; Angel is 6 years old. She was dropped off at orphanage when she was about 2 years old. She  
received no attention. Mrs. Hagen neglected her. She wasn't even potty trained. And no one would feed her, or even change her diapers. Max couldn't sit there and watch her suffer silently. So she became really close to Angel. Almost like a mother to her. She took great care of her. And she taught her many things. Angel could write at the age of 4.

She was a bright child, not like the rest. Max cared deeply about her, she even became over-protective over her. She wouldn't allow Mrs. Hagen to abuse her. She would take the punishment instead.

It lasted until Angel's 6th birthday. Which was 3 months ago. A married couple came by and wanted to adopt a child. I remember the kids were thrilled. They all lined up. Angel was forced to go by Mrs. Hagen, even though she did not want to leave Max's side.

Then, we discovered that they had taken Angel. I remember Max was upset and wouldn't eat for a week. I tried comforting her and telling her she's in great care now. It made her feel a little better. However, I knew she was crying on the inside.

So here I am. Sitting down on a couch watching a dumb movie. Only this time I felt something warm on my shoulder; I realized it was Max. She had fallen asleep.

I smiled. Everyone else was scared shitless out of their pants and here's Max falling asleep on my shoulder.

Nudge was holding on to Iggy's arm. He was breathing heavily. Gazzy was hidden under some blankets. Trying to hide his scared face.

While no one was watching. I carried Max and went upstairs. I placed her on the bed and kissed her forehead. She looked exhausted.

I decided to go to bed as well. My muscles were aching badly. I just want to get this job over with.

I crawled in next to her and wrapped my arm over her waist in a protective manner. There we were, falling asleep peacefully. With no one around to harm us.

I closed my eyes and went into a dreamless sleep...

* * *

**There will be more to come! R&R? Suggestions? **

**-S.F**


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